Sarah Harris, vice chairwoman of the Mohegan Tribe, spoke to the Quinnipiac University community about Indigenous advocacy through storytelling in an installment of the university’s Critical Conversations titled “We’re All Part of This Story.”  

Before becoming vice chairwoman of her tribe, Harris was an attorney and served in multiple law firms in Washington, D.C. She represented other Native American tribes, as well as Tribal entities and organizations. 

Later in Harris’ career, she worked with the Department of Justice as special assistant to the Solicitor of the Department of Interior. Then in 2013, she received a presidential appointment to the role of the Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, where she supported policies to strengthen and rebuild Tribal homelands and communities.

At the start of the event, Julia Giblin, professor of anthropology at Quinnipiac, recognized the fact that Quinnipiac does not have a land acknowledgment and spoke about the meaning of this form of acknowledgement. Land acknowledgement is rooted in Indigenous American culture, and formally recognizes the relationship between the Indigenous peoples who occupy and/or occupied the land.

Quinnipiac potentially gets its name from the Quinnipiac Tribe which occupied the campus and the surrounding area. Although Quinnipiac does not have a formal land acknowledgement, Aiyana Baker, a senior nursing major, president of the Quinnipiac Indigenous Student Union and a member of the Mohegan Tribe, spoke her own land acknowledgement before introducing Harris.

“I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the land that our campus sits on today, as in my culture, it’s something that’s very important to us, so that we properly recognize those that once walked here in the land that we’re standing on right now,” Baker said.

Harris highlighted the importance of the land acknowledgment when she took the stage, then began talking more about her role, background and the Mohegan Tribe.

The Mohegan Tribe became federally recognized in 1994, 16 years after applying for the recognition. Its reservation spans 500 acres in Uncasville, CT and has approximately 2200 members mostly across Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. Recently, Harris and other members of the Mohegan Tribe Council have been working to bring members of the tribe back to the reservation.

Harris’ father was the first Tribal chairman of the Mohegan Tribe after it became federally recognized.

“I guess that it was never even really a choice for me. I grew up with, you know, my tribe and my tribal government in my home . . .  And so it’s just, it’s something that has just been ingrained in me,” Harris said. “I just value public service, I think it’s like the highest order. And I think that that’s the way that you can give back to your community, that you can shape your community, that you can ready the world for future generations.”  

Before starting a Q and A session with Jennifer Rawlings, a Quinnipiac alumna and a member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe and Pokanoket Nation, she told the story of Samson Occom, a leader in the Mohegan Tribe, a successful writer and priest in the mid-to-late 1700’s.

Occom wanted to start a college for Indigenous Youth, and began planning to do so with his friend, Eliza Wheelock. They decided that Occom should go to England to raise money for this school while Wheelock took care of Occom’s family and began planning the school. When Occom returned to Connecticut, he had found that Wheelock did not take care of his family, and decided to start a college for colonials in New Hampshire – Dartmouth College.

“So the school that was chartered for the education of Indians went on to graduate 12 Indians in the first 200 years of its existence,” Harris said. “In the 1970’s (Dartmouth) President Kimani decided that the school should rededicate itself to its charter purpose and started pushing admissions for Native American students. And since that time, the school has graduated thousands of Native students.”

Harris was the first female Native American student to graduate from Dartmouth. 

Eventually, Dartmouth College returned hundreds of documents and items from Occom and rebuilt its relationship with the Mohegan Tribe. When the college selected its new president a few years ago, Harris spoke at the inauguration ceremony.

“I think it’s important for us all to remember that the actions and the things that we do matter, even if we can’t immediately see how or what the outcome will be, and it’s important that we all continue to participate and move forward and with courage and conviction and keep pushing, because I don’t know that he would be able to fathom what Mohegan has today, or like my existence, but I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for (Occom).”

Harris emphasises the importance of people supporting the tribes across Connecticut and the northeast.

“Indian country needs allies,” Harris said. “I think going to the (Quinnipiac University) powwow (on April 12)  is a great way to meet folks and get to know people and hear about people’s stories. We love to share our stories and our history.” professor of anthropology at Quinnipiac.